Public Sector

Let’s start from the beginning.

In 1973, the Rehabilitation Act was passed, which required nondiscrimination in employment by federal agencies. It was updated in 1998 to add requirements for the federal government to actively recruit employees with disabilities. This update included Section 508, and the federal government was given a grace period until 2001 to make electronic information accessible. In a nutshell, Section 508 requires technology that is used or purchased by the federal government to be usable by people with disabilities. That means software, hardware, mobile devices, applications, telephone systems, electronic documents, websites and the like. Section 508 compliance is a priority in federal government.

Buyers and Sellers

What does that mean for sellers of these products? Federal laws require companies who sell their products and services to the federal government make them accessible to everyone. This includes testing products and documenting their accessibility features in order to compete for federal bids.